The Importance of the Camera Arm for Filming Your Hunt

The Importance of the Camera Arm for Filming Your Hunt

by Rodney Evans

As the sun faded, I raised my binoculars to scan the field one last time. In disbelief, I saw a good buck coming straight for my decoy. I asked my cameraman if he was on him, and he gave me the “Yes.) The buck continued to my decoy, almost running. As the buck paused at 20 yards to size-up its competition, I was preparing to draw when I heard every hunter’s nightmare. The dreaded. “Don’t shoot.” I turned to see my cameraman swiveling the camera back around to his side of the tree for a better angle. I was trying not to go in panic mode. Once he had the deer in full view, he gave me the green light and all was right with the world.

The popularity of filming hunts is at an all-time high, and recent technology has made it quite a bit easier on the cameraman. A camera arm is a “must-have” for anyone wanting quality, steady footage in the field, while filming from a tree. On the hunt mentioned above, the camera arm was our saving grace. Although we had to make a last second adjustment, at least we could; we made the adjustment and shot the footage.

Camera Arm Types

Camera arms come in a variety of sizes, weights, and features, depending on the type of camera you intend to use. Durable arms will usually weigh around the 10-pound mark and still fit easily into a good-sized backpack with the rest of your hunting gear.

Camera arm setup is relatively fast, just five easy steps.

Attach the base to the tree.

Slide the arm onto the base.

Ensure level (some models feature a built-in level).

Securely, attach the camera to the arm.

Test your range of motion and filming angles. If needed, make any final adjustments for optimal filming results.

As you can imagine, camera arms are available in a range of prices from $50–500. In general, higher-priced camera arms are intended for higher-priced cameras. Ultimately, your choice for a camera arm should match the size and features of your camera. Check online and sporting goods retailers for available camera arm models.

About The Author

Rodney is from West Point Georgia. He has been married to his supportive wife, Monica, for 17 years and they have four wonderful kids: Meghan 17, Rj 14, Lakyn 5 and Cooper 3. Evans attended Columbus College studying Forestry. After college, he took a job with the Troup County Fire Dept as a Firefighter/Emt, where he has remained for the past 18 years. He was introduced to the outdoors as a kid by his Dad, and has spent most of his free time in the woods ever since. He enjoys all types of hunting, but prefers bowhunting. In 1998, he decided to try bowhunting in the far Midwest, specifically, the state of Kansas. After seeing the difference between the deer in the south and in the far Midwest, he was hooked. Additionally, he makes several trips each year to places like Missouri and Kansas on hunting trips and freelance work. He has taken several Pope and Young bucks with a couple being filmed for television. After deer season, he enjoys turkey hunting in the spring months.Evans is an active member of the NWTF and hase taken the grand slam with the shotgun and is in the process of attempting the slam with a bow. In 2000, he picked up a camera for the first time, and filmed a successful deer hunt for a friend. He quickly learned he had a passion for filming, and decided to enroll in the Realtree Camera School for freelance videographers. Since, he has filmed and appeared on shows like Realtree Outdoors, Realtree Road Trips, and numerous others. Hunting/filming has taken him all over the United States and parts of Canada. Through his travels, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of the outdoor industry.